The Role Of Outsourcing In Healthcare BPO Industry

By: Michael Tetrick Feb 28, 2023

Hey healthcare professionals! Thank you for all your skills, compassion, and dedication! We understand you worked and studied hard to play a role in a challenging profession. The American public loves you, even if we don't say it all the time.

But one thing. We also understand that even if you have your practice, you didn't become a doctor or nurse to manage an office. You didn't spend all that money on education, work all those long hours to send bills, or fill out insurance reimbursements with the proper codes. You did all that work to help people, save lives, and heal the sick.

The business community has many paper-intensive sectors, but naming the one with the most paperwork isn't difficult. At least in the past, there was only one hands-down winner (or loser, depending on how you look at it): the healthcare industry. The number of forms and records involved in Healthcare Data Entry was imposing. But now, thanks to intensive care from the Healthcare BPO Services sector, Healthcare has shed much of that paper weight. How did they do it? They embraced digital technology and drove innovation in that field. Now, there's no paper in sight in many hospitals, clinics, and doctor's offices.

What Exactly Are Outsourced Healthcare BPO Services?

Business Process Outsourcing has proved a valued partner to the healthcare industry as in other business sectors. And Healthcare BPO Outsourcing services continue to grow in scope as the healthcare system transforms and evolves.

Medical Coding and Billing

What about the records and forms? What do they look like now, and what does the future hold?

Hospitals and healthcare professionals deal with vast amounts of medical records every day. In other industries, coding and billing are reasonably straightforward; medical coding and billing are so intricate and detailed that the popular belief was that the complexity was intentional. It wasn't planned, but navigating the process takes skill and experience.

Medical staff are skilled at delivering healthcare, not dealing with forms and records. With the proper knowledge and experience, healthcare providers can ensure timely patient bills and documents are processed.

BPOs saw an immediate need for a team well-versed in medical billing and coding and rushed to fill that need. And have been increasing in scope ever since.

Claims Processing

Processing patient claims is the most critical link in healthcare billing. Thousands of claims are processed daily, and all must be submitted accurately. Historically the major problem with claims processing is errors in coding or other serious procedural problems that delay payment.

With the experience, training, and resources to do the job, specialized teams are assigned to process vast medical claims.

Medical Data Processing Services

As mentioned earlier, healthcare providers should have pursued this profession to process and update large volumes of medical data daily. It's not their passion, nor should it be.

Managing and processing data can be a monotonous task, and healthcare organizations have large volumes of data to take care of:

  • Tests and lab reports
  • Prescriptions and drug inventory
  • Patient insurance details
  • Other hospital records

Medical Data Entry Services

Beyond treating patients, healthcare providers are responsible for processing and updating vast medical data.

Managing data like:

  • Tests and lab reports
  • Prescriptions and drug inventory
  • Patient insurance details
  • Other hospital records

While this kind of process is different from other data entry - needing an advanced level of skill and technical interpretation, much of these duties are now handled by BPOs.

The BPO solution replaces the medical professional in completing these functions.

Why Is Outsourcing So Vital for The Healthcare BPO Industry?

A BPO Company is a third-party firm that can provide numerous valuable services to assist companies such as healthcare providers.

BPO providers can serve as a much-needed resource to help shoulder tasks involving back-office paperwork and digital workflow so that any enterprise can concentrate on its core business and thrive.

Outsourcing is becoming more and more popular as medical professionals want to focus their time and energy on their core missions and functions. They want to outsource because they want their non-primary business tasks done by expert professionals. This transfer of responsibility allows the healthcare staff to focus on more pressing matters.

Advantages Of Outsourcing In Healthcare BPO

With healthcare providers as clients, the stakes have been dramatically raised because of the nature of the data. Over the years, BPOs have honed their skills to provide good dollar value. And BPOs have risen to the challenge.

  • Cost Efficiency - One of the primary benefits of using a BPO provider is saving time and money. When it comes to business processes, these operations can be handled by a professional firm to open up resources, namely time, to focus on the primary mission of healthcare.
  • Fast Results - When professionals with extensive experience perform business process outsourcing, they will get the job done and typically at a much quicker rate compared to in-house employees that do not have experience in these operations.
  • Focus On What Matters - Outsourcing allows healthcare professionals to focus their time, energy, and money on their field's most critical and crucial elements. At the same time, a BPO company expertly takes care of the rest.
  • Avoid Costly Blunders - Mistakes waste time, and time is crucial in any business but significant in the healthcare industry.
  • Competitive Advantage - While healthcare companies don't openly compete, they are businesses, and their investors expect them to make a profit. So competition is a factor, as it is in any business sector.
  • Data Storage and Recovery - The ability to perform data-related functions is essential in healthcare. It can be a little matter of life and death. Dependable and rapid access to data must be a central concern.
  • Data Security - The healthcare industry rightly placed patient's private information as a top priority in transitioning to an all-digital information flow. This has been reinforced by strict statutes passed by the United States Congress. BPOs have always handled client's data security; healthcare is no different.

Why Do Healthcare Companies Outsource?

Like most other human endeavors, the bottom line plays a role in an individual or business's actions. This has been true for eons and is still in force today. BPOs thrive because they feel they can do the job better and at a lower price point than their clients can.

Medical claims processing - An essential healthcare task is processing patient claims. Professional medical claims processing team can deliver accurate and up-to-date information to insurers.

Hospital infrastructure management - Focusing on patient treatment means healthcare providers hire outside vendors to remove their infrastructure: security, patient transport, cleaning services, maintenance, and waste management.

Better HR - Healthcare firms can better manage their HR administration and benefits assistance with a BPO. The outsourced HR team can offer more health insurance and other benefits at a lower cost.

Error-free medical billing - Another crucial function that can be executed more accurately and for less money by an experienced BPO. And maintain the strict HIPPA regulations in that process.

Clinical and patient care services - Many healthcare organizations outsource clinical services, such as patient care (therapy and pharmacy) and diagnostic imaging. Once again, allowing hospitals to concentrate on critical care services.

IT - Healthcare providers use outsourcing to manage their IT administration, things like electronic billing and payment systems, cloud computing systems, and maintenance of EMRs (electronic medical records).

Data entry services - A large amount of medical data: prescriptions, medical information, lab reports, patient records, and patient insurance details, can be overwhelming for almost any healthcare provider, no matter what their size. Outsourcing these services can not only save time and money but improve accuracy as well.

Efficient money management - outsourcing payment management services to third-party providers is cost-effective because maintaining an in-house and full-time payroll team is expensive.

Data collection and management - Outsourcing these services provides the latest technology without the massive investment required to bring it in-house.

How To Know You've Chosen the Right Healthcare BPO.

If, after all of this, you're ready to take the next step and partner with a Healthcare BPO, make sure you make the right choice. You want one that knows the ins and outs of HIPPA compliance. You want one that has proven healthcare expertise. And you want one that can demonstrate their performance to you, the client. After all, it's your name on the sign above the door.

How do you know you've chosen the right Healthcare BPO? Contact Rely Services, and ask!

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